Officers ‘hamstrung’ by a lack of investment

10 July 2023

The chair of Hertfordshire Police Federation has called for sustained long-term investment in policing to allow forces to make strategic plans to tackle crime.

Luke Mitchell said members were working tirelessly to serve and protect the public but their efforts were being impacted by years of funding cuts and underinvestment.

His comments follow the publication of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) report on police performance, which brings together significant findings from the 2021/22 police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy (PEEL) inspection programme.

The report highlighted police forces’ progress in recording crime, increasing from an estimated 80.5 per cent of all crime being recorded (excluding fraud) in 2014 to 92.4 per cent at the end of 2021/2022 inspections.

However, the inspectorate found that too many forces were failing to properly understand and manage their own performance, meaning they didn’t know which issues were most important to tackle and where and how they can improve.

Luke said: “After more than a decade of cuts by the Government in policing, it’s no surprise the report highlights our members are increasingly under-resourced and under-skilled.

“Our members are working tirelessly to serve their communities but are being hamstrung by a lack of investment. As we’ve said for years, cuts have consequences.

“We need urgent investment now in our officers and in our infrastructure to ensure they’re properly skilled and resourced for their roles.

“And we need sustained long-term funding settlements that allows forces to plan strategically.

“Working from year doesn’t allow for that long-term thinking and doesn’t give the public the best value for money.”

The HMICFRS report found that: 

• Too many forces make decisions based on poor data or insufficient analysis of data;
• Forces too often have knee jerk reactions to long term problems and don’t work proactively enough to prevent issues arising in the first place;
• First-line supervisors are critical to improving performance and developing the right culture in forces, but they are not getting the investment and support they need;
• The public is too often being failed at the first point of contact, with long call delays, in particular non-emergency 101 calls; and
• The workforce is increasingly under-resourced and under skilled, with forces not doing enough to understand why such a large proportion of its workforce are leaving and having any plans in place to tackle it.

The report also highlighted how Hertfordshire Police has an ethics panel that considers a range of ethical issues.

The report states: “One that we were made aware of in our inspection work was about a mobile phone app that alerts people nearby of someone in cardiac arrest, allowing them to offer help. The ethics panel received a question around officers and staff using the app and responding when off duty.  

“The panel considered what the expectations were of the police and if they were different to those of the wider public. As a result of the panel’s consideration, the Force now records when officers and staff attend such incidents, including when off duty.

“Managers are then made aware so that they can monitor wellbeing and recognise where officers and staff have gone above and beyond what is expected of them.”

Andy Cooke, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary, said: “We found a wealth of examples where police forces are performing well. Forces must learn from each other and should consider if the positive practice described in this report can be applied in their own area.

“But the public are still being let down too often by policing, and there are several improvements that forces need to make. One of the first things forces need to do is to get better at understanding and managing their own performance. Without this, forces cannot aspire to provide the high level of service that the public deserves.

“The public’s trust and confidence in the police are at an all-time low, so it is vital that forces take heed of our findings and work quickly to rectify the issues highlighted.”

Tiff Lynch, deputy chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW), said: “There is a common thread throughout this report that links the red flags PFEW have been highlighting repeatedly – a severe lack of funding leaving police forces up and down England and Wales struggling with demand, and officer levels. This is further leading forces to use outdated, cumbersome, and poorly understood systems and processes.

“If our members are to give the public the service they deserve, then long-term, sustained investment in policing must be the Government’s top priority.

“Only proper investment in the service will allow all the service to implement the procedures and training that are vital to improving policing and regaining public confidence and trust.

“This report rightly adds more pressure on the Government to take urgent action, invest in policing, improve police pay and officer morale, and restore policing to the respected and trusted public service it should be.”